Is it too late to say Happy New Year? With our Spring semester now in full swing, it’s safe to say that sticking to all of the resolutions we’ve planned for ourselves while also re-adjusting to a full course load is becoming increasingly difficult. For me, every year about a week before January 1st is filled with ambitious vision board construction and buying grapes to eat under the table at the stroke of midnight with my closest friends. Then, about a week later, almost everything I’ve planned for myself is completely shelved for the next year. “I’ll pick it back up next month,” I say before rolling back into bed after only a week of morning gym trips, knowing deep down that the cyclical process of non-achievement has just begun. How do we prevent this from happening to us every year? I decided to keep it simple and compiled a list of a few goals that should be easier for me to attain this year, so today I’m going to share some of them with you. Then we’ll all be able to actually hold each other accountable.Â
“Curiosity Killed the Cat.” Did it Really Though?
You know that feeling when you’re talking to someone and you’ve all of a sudden realized that you have no idea what they’re talking about and you’re just kind of nodding along? Then they ask you for your thoughts, and your stomach drops, because this one sided conversation has been happening for about five minutes and you’re just now going to have to admit to being a fraud? Maybe it’s just me, but it happens way more than I’d like it to. Upon further reflection, I’ve learned that most of the time it’s definitely just a pride thing. If someone is delving into a topic that they’re very well versed in, I convince myself that I should be too, and they’ll think I’m stupid for not having any idea what they’re talking about. That is never the case, and if you happen to be the same way, the reality is that we’re usually just missing out on a lot of enjoyable learning opportunities. This year, I’m committed to asking as many questions as possible. Don’t be afraid of being perceived a certain way because of your curiosities.
Be Kinder to Yourself
Okay, this one is a given. Yes, we all know that we’re our own worst critics and that we shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves. I remind myself of that constantly, but I never seem to actually hold myself to the same standards that I’ve applied to everyone else. So this year I got a journal to keep my thoughts in check. Not only is it extremely therapeutic, but it serves as the perfect canvas for affirmations of self love. Beyond seeking to positively adjust the way we think of ourselves, there are a few simple tasks we can stick to daily in order to feel better too. For me personally, making my bed before I leave for class every morning and showering right before I get into bed at night have been exactly what I’ve needed. Being consistent with this new routine has made me feel more productive throughout my day, and therefore more motivated to complete all the tasks I would otherwise feel too overwhelmed to do and eventually just give up. Sometimes it really is the littlest things that make a world of a difference.
My Screen Time Can’t be That Big of an Issue…
The night TikTok got banned was really eye opening for me. I was with my best friend and that entire night we found ourselves absentmindedly clicking into the app as soon as we had opened our phones. I knew I was addicted, I knew that my attention span had been significantly altered from what it was just a few years ago, yet I was still surprised by how much I seemed to be displaying signs of genuine withdrawal from a social media platform. I decided that night (albeit some time after New Years at this point) that I would take up a new hobby. Since then, I’ve gotten back into reading and started learning to crochet. It’s been a long time goal of mine to learn to crochet, but when life gets busy and apps like TikTok become a free and convenient outlet during your downtime, it’s easy to continue putting it off until the next year. I’m not saying that my screen time has magically become nonexistent, but it’s definitely helped me balance my free time. There are a lot of easy ways to unwind that don’t involve your devices, and unfortunately I’ve found that the research is actually true: you do end up feeling a lot better when you’re not doomscrolling in bed for hours on end.Â
I realize that these goals for 2025 are relatively simple, but setting a routine is what matters. They say it takes about three weeks to form a habit, so start small and build your way up from there. The month of January definitely is a time of stress because of how much pressure we all put on ourselves to achieve everything we want to change about ourselves seemingly all at once. I’m a firm believer that as we make our way into the new year, our focus should be settled on how to improve. And a lot of times that takes patience, because the best way to meet your goals is to take it one step at a time.